Sakhtar-e Ma’nayi-ye Masnavi-ye Ma’navi (Daftar-e Avval)

• Persian Title: ساختار معنایی مثنوی معنوی (دفتر اول)
• Transliterated Title: Sākhtār-i maʿnāʾī-yi Mathnavī-yi Maʿnavī (Daftar-i Awwal)
• English Title: The Semantic Structure of the Masnavi (Book One)
• Author: Seyyed Salman Safavi (14th century A.H.)
• Translator (from English): Mahvash al-Sādāt ʿAlavī
• Introduction: Seyyed Hossein Nasr
• Language: Persian
• ISBN: 978-964-8700-66-4
• Publication Year: 2009 (1388 A.H.)
• Pages: 344
• Format: PDF
• Category: Textual Studies
• Miras Maktoob Collection Code: 183

【Summary】

For a long time, many Eastern and Western scholars believed that Rumi’s Masnavi lacked structure and systematic organization, viewing it as a loose collection of Qurʾanic stories, folk tales, and mystical reflections. Scholars such as A. J. Arberry described it as scattered, while Annemarie Schimmel argued that it had no formal structure.
In this book, Seyyed Salman Safavi challenges this dominant view. Emphasizing Rumi’s creative genius, inner vision, and foundations in theoretical mysticism, he applies hermeneutical and structural methods to the text. By using literary principles such as parallelism and cross-reflection, and adopting a holistic approach, he demonstrates the coherent and continuous structure of the Masnavi.
Through 16 analytical diagrams, the author reveals a previously unrecognized structural system and derives new insights from the text. This work represents a major contribution to modern studies of Rumi and Islamic mystical literature.